Nikkei Falls 2.5%, SoftBank Plummets—What's Going On?
Japanese stocks fell sharply on Wednesday: the Nikkei 225 fell 2.5% to 50,212, and the Topix dropped 1.26% to 3,268. The sell-off was led by technology stocks amid growing concerns about AI valuations. Sentiment became even more fragile after Wall Street executives warned of a potential market correction in the next two years, coupled with uncertainty about the direction of US interest rate cuts.
Technology was the main drag: SoftBank Group fell 10% due to its heavy exposure to AI and technology investments. Chip and semiconductor equipment stocks also suffered: Advantest (-6%), Lasertec (-6.9%), Fujikura (-5.3%), Tokyo Electron (-4.1%), and Disco (-8.4%). This pressure extended the decline from the previous session.
On the corporate side, Toyota Motor fell 3.7% after earnings missed projections due to the impact of US tariffs, while Nintendo surged 6.2% after raising its Switch 2 sales outlook ahead of the holiday season. Going forward, the market will reassess AI sector valuations, monitor US interest rate signals, and scrutinize earnings results to gauge the strength of the next rally. (az)
Source: Newsmaker.id
